Something Priceless
by Blu Rose
Summary: Anna takes an interest in the cherished sword passed down in Priam's family, or rather its monetary worth. (A fanmade Support between Priam and Anna. Oneshot)


**Yet again writing because 1) I am whimsical like that with oneshots, 2) I need to get this computer's keys untightened, and 3) I need to give a friendly reminder that Priam and Anna (among others in Awakening) can only marry the Avatar, and that sucks. And before you ask: yes, there's an S-rank scenario, and it feels as rushed as the ones in the game do. But how else can love be portrayed after only three prior scenes into their relationship? Doesn't make up for the fact that it sucks, though… Oh well. Start the fic!**

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Fire Emblem series. If she did, she'd have played more than Awakening, but maybe it's better that way._

_Summary: In which Anna takes an interest in the cherished sword of Priam's ancestor._

**X-X-X**

_Something Priceless_

Anna sat in her tent, looking down with a scrutinizing gaze. It was the kind of look she had whenever she was determining the price of an object she happened to find in the middle of nowhere or something a fellow merchant was trying to haggle from her. After a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed. "It figures."

The flaps of her tent were thrown open as Priam stomped inside, his face contorted in anger. "Who do you think you are, woman?!" He spat as he approached her.

With a smile, Anna picked up the item she was appraising and stood to face the Radiant Hero. "Hello, Priam. I hope you didn't mind, but I took your sword to have a look at it." It was immediately snatched from her hand. "It's quite the antique. Very interesting."

"Ragnell is the sword of my ancestor, passed down through my family for generations, and an extension of myself as a warrior! It is _not_ something for you to steal and sell when my attention is turned elsewhere!" Not to mention how embarrassing it was for the blue-haired warrior. He'd only set his sword aside along with the rest of his clothing to wash up and came back to find a note from Anna in its place, written with little hearts as if to taunt him. He'd never let anyone steal Ragnell from him before, and now this zealous merchant woman was the first.

"Oh, I know about Ragnell, and the Radiant Hero Ike as well," said Anna.

"You…you do?" There weren't many on this continent who knew of his ancestor's legend.

"When you first joined, claiming this and that about your heritage, I asked one of my sisters about that sword of yours. And let me say it was…_interesting_," the merchant said with a smile, "A legendary sword that was blessed by a goddess so it would be unbreakable!"

Priam smiled as well, happy to know that the redheaded woman could appreciate Ragnell's importance. "Ah, so you see—"

Anna's smile dropped into a frown as she interrupted, "But this obviously isn't it."

Within the tent fell silent. "…What?" Was all Priam could say.

"This _can't_ be the legendary sword blessed with divine power! Just…_look_ at it!" The redhead traced a crack on the broad side of Ragnell's blade. "It's got cracks everywhere! It looks as if it's going to break apart! I don't know if you really _are_ a descent of the Radiant Hero, but this thing obviously isn't Ragnell."

The blue-haired man clenched his teeth in anger. "Nonsense! Ragnell has been in my family for generations! Granted, it has lost its holy blessing, but our care has allowed it to continue being a mighty sword capable of combat against the greatest of enemies!"

"Now, now. No need to keep deluding yourself to keep up your family pride. Tell you what: if you sell that old sword to me, I'll give a fancy _new_ one! …At a discount," she added quickly and quietly.

Priam narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Just know that if you touch my sword again, I may act so pleasantly." He left the tent, closing the flap behind him while clutching Ragnell's sheath tightly.

Anna arched an eyebrow. "He is _really_ attached to that thing. Whether it's a replica or not, it's only a matter of time before that sword falls apart." Her eyes gained a shady look as she smirked. "Well, I've dealt with customers in denial before. I'll whittle him down to size until he's good and ready to haggle for that antique sword of his."

**X-X-X**

For several days after date, Priam was pestered by Anna—several Annas to be exact. Wandering merchant redheads, Outrealm-wandering entrepreneurs, and the Shepherd's own money-minded trickster of a merchant constantly asked him about his sword and how much he wanted to be paid for it. And each time, no matter how high a price they made or what rare, incredible sword they offered to exchange it for, Priam's response was always a blunt _'no'_.

And then, it happened again. While Priam was attending to other businesses—partaking in a meal of boar meat along with the rest of the arm—Ragnell had been stolen from him yet again! And, of course, he had a good idea of who was to blame for the theft. So he stalked across the camp towards Anna's tent, threw the tent flaps open, and glared at the redheaded woman who was smiling innocently—as if she _were_.

"Ah, there you are, Priam! I was wondering when you'd get here!" Anna exclaimed. "It's not nice to keep a lady waiting. Time is money."

"You are _no_ lady! You are a thief and a nuisance! You've stolen my ancestor's sword, attempted to _haggle_ with me for it as if it were a common bronze sword, and even set your sisters upon me! What will it take to make you _leave me alone_?" Priam growled, clenching his teeth in anger.

"Don't get your smallclothes in a knot! I just wanted to show you something. Now, take a look at this sword of yours." The redhead held out Ragnell. "Surely a seasoned swordsman like you can tell what sort of condition it's in. _Honestly_." Priam remained silent, his mouth forming a thin line. Anna continued, "I've been watching you in battle, y'know. You carry this sword on you, but you always hesitate to use it and instead use some other sword. You can tell this thing's going to fall apart soon, can't you?"

The blue-haired man sighed sadly. "What you say is true. I've known for some time now that Ragnell is no longer in the state it was when my ancestor wielded it. The next time it's swung may well be the last."

Anna nodded and smiled, happy that Priam was being reasonable now. "Good. Now, if you hand it over to me, I'll see to it that it's sold for a _very_ high price. Of which you'll receive a…third, shall we say?"

Once again, Priam frowned. "_No_."

So much for being reasonable. Now it was Anna's turn to frown. "Why not?! It can't be used or it'll break! And there's no point in letting a valuable relic collect dust and rust! Don't tell me you think you can _fix_ it! It's impressive that your family's managed to maintain it for all these years, but that thing's gonna break one day! You may as well get something for it before then!"

Priam had had enough. He snatched Ragnell from Anna's hand, and for a minute, the merchant thought he was going to use it on her. Instead, he just held it up in front of her, so the blade could reflect her eyes. "You may look at this sword and simply see a relic of monetary value, but to _me_, it is more than that. It is the sword of my ancestor, passed down to his children as my father passed it down to me! Maybe…as a woman whose family values money so greatly, you've not been taught to cherish something that is priceless." With that statement, he left the tent, and left behind an uncomfortable silence.

Anna stared down at her boots quietly. It wasn't _her_ fault. This was the sort of drive one had to have in the world of business, even if it left some people crying. She stood there for a few seconds before shaking her head and holding her finger to her cheek. "Perhaps…I was a bit…rash," she mumbled to herself. "I suppose I'll have to try and make things right." She cringed inwardly. She'd probably have to dig into her own pockets for this…

**X-X-X**

Days passed, and although Priam and Anna continued to be paired up together for battles, they didn't talk off the battlefield. Priam continued trying to maintain Ragnell while Anna wandered off occasionally to do her own business. Their relationship, although not really all that friendly, was stable in a sense.

At least until Priam's sword disappeared again, yet again replaced by a note from Anna. Yet again, he stalked across the camp to her tent to confront her. Just as she was leaving, he grabbed her by the shoulders and growled, "Where is it?"

"Huh?" Anna blinked in confusion.

"Where is Ragnell? If you tell me that you've sold it, I—" The blue-haired man stopped in midsentence when he realized that the Anna before him wasn't the Anna that _he_ knew. This one was dressed in green instead of red, and carried a large and heavy-looking pack that seemed to be bustling with various items. "Gods, she sold it to you, didn't she?! Give it back to me, woman!" He started to shake her furiously, her pack making a lot of noise in the process.

Anna—the red-clad one, that is—appeared behind her merchant sister. "Hey, hey, hey! Knock it off! There's valuable merchandise in there, but not your sword!" Priam glared at the redhead until she added, "Honest! Merchant's honor!" Still glaring, Priam released the green-clad Anna, who immediately scampered off to sell wares to the rest of the Shepherds. "Now, come inside. I have something to show you." She stepped inside of her tent, gesturing for Priam to follow. "Now, close your eyes…"

"Why?" Priam was wary. One should never take their eye of their opponent—especially one as crafty as Anna—_any_ Anna, but most especially _this_ one.

The merchant woman gave him a half-lidded stare. "Humor me, will you? I went through all this effort for you, so let me have a little fun!" She watch as Priam closed his eyes, grumbling things under his breath. She bent over to pick up the sheathed Ragnell and placed her hand on its hilt. "Now, open them."

The blue-haired warrior opened his eyes just as Anna pulled the legendary sword from its sheath. Priam's mouth opened in awe. "Ragnell! It's…been fixed!"

Anna smiled proudly as she flaunted the blade. "Yup! It's not exactly unbreakable, but it should last for quite some years." Though its blade was still dull and its hilt was still faded, the condition of the sword was still better than when Priam had joined them with it. "Do ya like it?"

Priam took the sword and looked upon it with admiration. There was a light in his eyes that Anna had only seen in battle. "Amazing…! It hasn't looked like this since my father wielded it!"

"Well, I have a sister who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a woman who knows a _really_ good blacksmith! I had to pay with my own money, too, so you'd better be grateful!"

"I see I was wrong about you." Thank goodness. He'd have probably murdered the woman and turn the world upside down looking for Ragnell.

"No… You were right, sort of," Anna sadly admitted. "In my business _and_ my family, you get so used to labeling things with prices, you sometimes forget that some things are worth _more_ than money." A part of her—and surely Annas everywhere—shuddered as she said that. "But I know now that that sword is precious to you. No amount of money can make up for what it represents!" Again, Annas everywhere felt a disturbance in their very souls.

Priam smiled. "Thank you. Both for mending my sword and realizing its worth."

Anna smiled back. "You're welcome! Now, let's discuss your debt."

The warrior blinked. "Um…debt?"

"I paid for that sword to be fixed out of my own pocket, and it was _quite_ costly—despite all I've managed to save up until now." Her smile became a sly one as she leered at the Radiant Hero's descendant. "So I've decided that you're going to pay me back for it!"

"P…_pay_?! Hold on, just how much did it cost?!" Priam exclaimed. He wasn't exactly clingy with money like the merchant before him was, but he still had his uses for it!

Anna walked past the stunned hero, patting him on the shoulder. "It _could_ take a _lifetime_ for you to pay off. Or maybe _more_!" She said with a wink before she left the tent.

"A…lifetime…?" Priam groaned. "I feel as if I've sold my soul to a _demon_…!"

**X-X-X**

Many days later, Priam entered Anna's tent. "Anna."

"Hm? Oh, uh, Priam! It's you!" The merchant exclaimed with a bit of a blush on her face.

"I've come to discuss something important with you. As of late, I've been finding items addressed to me: weapons, armor, medicines… I suspect the one behind this is you."

The redheaded woman winked. "Heh. You caught me! I admit, I put those things there for you."

"Why?"

"Because you're valuable to me. I want you to keep living, y'know!"

The blue-haired warrior sighed. If it were any other woman, he'd have taken it for a declaration of love, but this was Anna. She was simply concerned with his dying before he could pay her back. "Yes, I know. I am indebted to you for the rest of my days. Though I still don't know how I'll go about it…"

"Oh, that's simple. Just marry me!"

"Ha! Were it so easy. However, I could never marry someone who didn't love me."

"But I do love you."

Priam remained silent for a few seconds before realization hit. "WHAT?! You do?! Are you serious? Such things should not be made lightly!"

Anna nodded as she blushed. "If Ragnell is such a priceless thing, then it should be repaid with something equally priceless. Like your love."

Priam started to blush. "Love? What…makes you think I share your feelings?"

"I know you bought a ring for me. Not a fancy one, but I'll overlook it since you were so thoughtful about it," the merchant said with a wink and a smile. "So, is it a deal? Are we partners for life? You'll get some little heroes or heroines to pass down Ragnell to~!"

The warrior sighed. "I never thought my proposal to a woman would turn out like _this_. But…" He took her hand and stared deeply into her eyes. "I am yours and you are mine. I'll ensure that we both live long, happy lives together."

"I'll make sure you keep _that_ guarantee! Now, c'mere!" The merchant suddenly pulled the blue-haired hero down for a kiss.

**X-X-X**

After the fall of Grima, the Shepherds gained their own chapter in history. It is said that Priam left the continent to travel the world, seeking to hone his skills in battle even further. His beloved wife Anna went with him, making business with foreigners and gaining coin while also ensuring the safety of her greatest treasure: her husband. People feared for both their lives _and_ their money around them.

In some accounts of this period of history, it is said a boy came from the future. One who was a hopeless merchant who collected more things than he sold with his outlandish prices, and carried an antique sword that he claimed was one of the few things he could never put a price on, ridiculous or no. However, whether or not it is true is one of the many facts lost to history…


End file.
